


Promise Me

by SilverMoonSky



Series: Ladynoir July 2020 [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Ladynoir July, Ladynoir July 2020, Supportive Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, at least I think it’s a happy ending lol, tw: panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky
Summary: Chat Noir was trapped.He hadn’t been thinking. One moment he’d been leaping in front of his lady, and the next thing he knew, he was stuck in a box, one that was slowly sinking closer and closer against him, trapping him inside, and it was suffocating and he couldn’t escape and he could barely breathe—“Miraculous Ladybug!” Chat heard a voice scream, and suddenly, the box was gone. The dark void around him fell, and he could see the open sky again.Written for Day 10: Breakdown for Ladynoir July.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Ladynoir July 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812397
Comments: 9
Kudos: 184





	Promise Me

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Panic attack due to claustrophobia. I’m no expert, but the coping method in here is one I know works. Please take care of yourselves <3

Chat Noir was trapped.

He hadn’t been thinking. One moment he’d been leaping in front of his lady, and the next thing he knew, he was stuck in a box, one that was slowly sinking closer and closer against him, trapping him inside, and it was suffocating and he couldn’t escape and he could barely breathe—

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Chat heard a voice scream, and suddenly, the box was gone. The dark void around him fell, and he could see the open sky again.

He panted, feeling his knees give out as he sank to the ground. Chat squeezed his eyes shut. The memory of what had happened not even seconds ago played in his head: using his cataclysm, jumping in front of Ladybug, getting trapped in the small space. Of how it started closing in on him, how with each passing second he’d been more and more convinced he’d never be able to get out. It felt like he’d been in there for hours.

(Later, Chat would find he’d been trapped for hardly a minute.)

Someone’s hands were on his shoulders, shaking him, but he couldn’t bring it in him to care. He’d been trapped. He’d been in there, alone. He’d nearly suffocated. There was no way he would’ve gotten out of there if it wasn’t for—

“Chat,” a voice said frantically, “look at me.”

_ Ladybug. _

His eyes suddenly snapped open. His partner standing in front of him. She instantly crouched beside him the moment he looked up. Chat could tell Ladybug was anxious. It was obvious from the way her grip against him was tight, her fingers digging into his suit, to the way her breaths sounded as labored as his. Her eyes glistened with moisture and she pulled him close, wrapping her arms tightly around him to hold him close.

“Breathe with me,” Ladybug whispered, “in and out.”

Chat took a deep breath, but it came out as a choked sob. He tried again. Ladybug rubbed circles along his back as he breathed in. He was slightly more successful this time, but his breath was still harsh and ragged. He continued to inhale and exhale, in and out. When his breathing began to slow, Ladybug spoke.

“Name five things you can see,” she said, continuing to rub small circles along his back.

Chat blinked slowly at his surroundings. “The press,” he said. “Cameras, buildings, the sky, and you.”

Ladybug seemed annoyed as she looked over her shoulder. The press was attempting to come closer, but it was only the fact that they were on a rooftop that prevented them from coming into their vicinity. “Good. Four things you can feel.”

“You, the ground, my suit, and my baton.”

“Three things you can hear.”

“The press,” he whispered. Chat could hear their shouts, bombarding question after question at them. However, at the moment he filtered their voices out, focusing only on the person in front of him. “Your voice, and my voice.”

“Two things you can smell.”

He sniffed the air. “My cologne, and your. . . . shampoo.”

“One thing you can taste.”

Chat swallowed, unsure what to say for that. “My saliva?”

Ladybug’s grip against him loosened, and she let out a sigh of relief. “Are you okay now?” she murmured.

_ No, _ he wanted to say. No, he wasn’t okay at all. But he knew that answer would only make Ladybug even more anxious than she already was. Instead he pulled away from her embrace and gave her a stiff nod.

Ladybug stood up. “Do you. . . . do you wanna talk about what happened?”

Chat got to his feet and turned away from her. He instantly felt embarrassed. He couldn’t believe it; he’d just had a breakdown in front of  _ Ladybug. _ All because he couldn’t handle being trapped. All because of his carelessness.

“I don’t really like small spaces,” he confessed as the telltale beep of his Miraculous rang through the air. When he looked down at his ring, he saw he only had three minutes left.

Ladybug clamped a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea.”

“You couldn’t have known,” he said, giving her a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Still,” Ladybug said, “We should’ve— _ I  _ should’ve—”

Her earrings beeped simultaneously with his ring. They didn’t have much time left, but it was clear Ladybug wanted to talk to him. She gave him a frustrated glance as a hand flew to her earrings.

“No, LB, I’m sorry,” he said. “I knew what the akuma’s power was. I should’ve known.”

_ “No.” _ Ladybug’s voice cracked.  _ “I’m _ sorry. If I—if I’d known, I never would’ve let you take that hit.”

Chat shook his head. “You couldn’t have done anything. You need to be here. If I hadn’t leaped in front of you, you would’ve gotten hit and no one would’ve fixed the damage.”

Ladybug bit her lip as she hugged her arms against her chest. She looked as if she was ready to argue, but it was clear that she had nothing to say. After all, what Chat said was the truth—she  _ did _ need to fix the damage. Her position in battle was irreplaceable. She couldn’t just expect Chat  _ not _ to jump in front of her.

“But Chat,” she whispered, “you’re not okay. I know  _ why _ you take hits for me, but if it hurts you like this. . . .”

He felt shame wash over him. He couldn’t believe it. Ladybug was now doubting herself, all because he couldn’t handle being in a small space. He’d taken that hit so his partner would be safe. It didn’t matter if he got hurt in the process, because she’d fix it; she always did. Whether he got thrown off a building or ended up being mind-controlled, Ladybug always,  _ always _ fixed the damage. This time hadn’t been any different.

So why did it feel like it was? Why did the dread in his stomach continue to stay even after he’d been freed?

Because the memory of being trapped would stay within him. Because although the cure could reverse physical damage. . . . his memories stayed as they were. And Chat knew his memory of this wasn’t going away anytime soon.

Another beep. Chat only had a minute left, while Ladybug had two.

“I should go,” he said, looking down at his ring. “I’m about to transform back.”

“You’re not going to get away in time.”

“I’ll manage.”

“No,” Ladybug said, her voice suddenly fierce, “no, you’re not going anywhere. I need to talk to you.”

His eyes widened. “But I’m about to—”

Ladybug took out her yo-yo and swung it to the nearest rooftop. “Follow me,” she said as she swung herself towards a building.

Bewildered, Chat grabbed his baton and followed her. The press was below them, seeming excited as the two superheroes departed, but they both ignored them. Among the press, Chat saw the akumatized victim. They were standing with someone who seemed to be their friend, and suddenly, he realized something: for the first time, neither he nor Ladybug had gone over to comfort the victim.

Ladybug had come straight to  _ him.  _ She hadn’t even bothered to check on the akumatized victim, instead rushing over to help him. That hadn’t happened before, right? There was no way she  _ actually _ thought he was more import—

No. Chat didn’t even bother to finish the thought. He  _ knew  _ she cared about him—maybe not the way he cared about her, but it was still there. He wasn’t about to doubt that.

Ladybug landed on a secluded rooftop. A quick glance around the area told him it was highly unlikely that anyone would be able to see them. There was a chimney in the middle, and wordlessly he moved to one side just as his transformation wore off. Ladybug moved to the other side and transformed as well.

Plagg appeared. For once he didn’t seem to have anything to say, simply looking at his chosen with sympathy. Adrien took out a piece of camembert. His kwami gulped it down quickly.

“So. . . . what did you want to talk about?” Adrien asked.

“I’m worried about you, Chat,” Ladybug said from the other side of the chimney. “I’ve never seen you like that before.”

“I’m fine, my lady. I just panicked. That’s all.”

“You’re  _ not  _ fine.” There was an edge to Ladybug’s voice as she continued. “You didn’t have to jump in front of me. You—”

“But I did!” Adrien suddenly burst out. He was tired of her telling him that over and over again. “I  _ did _ have to jump in front of you. If I didn’t, you would’ve been the one that got hit, and—”

“God, Chat, you could’ve yelled at me to move out of the way. You could’ve tackled the akuma instead. But you jumped in front of me! And now you—” Ladybug’s voice suddenly broke.

“If I didn’t jump in front of you,  _ you _ would have gotten hit, and you would’ve been the one trapped. I  _ had _ to do it, Ladybug.” Adrien looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists. “It’s just my fault I got so worked up about it.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, so quietly he had to strain his ears to pick out her words. “No, it’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong; you were only doing what you thought was right. I just. . . . I’ve never seen you like that before,” she mumbled. “It scared me.”

“I didn’t mean to,” he croaked.

“Oh Chat, no,” Ladybug said softly. “It’s  _ not _ your fault. I’m not blaming you.”

Adrien was silent. He still couldn’t help feel like it  _ was  _ his fault. After all, he’d gotten her worried for no reason. All because he couldn’t handle it. He  _ hated _ being trapped, he truly did, but he’d never wanted to show Ladybug how much it had affected him.

When he didn’t respond, Ladybug let out a sigh. “Spots on,” she muttered. “Chat? Can I come over there?”

“Claws out,” Adrien said, and that gave Ladybug the answer she needed. She walked around the chimney to where he was standing. He smiled softly at her.

“I want you to promise something for me.” She leaned over and took his hands in hers.

“Promise what?” he asked in confusion.

“Promise me,” Ladybug whispered, “that if an akuma’s powers bother you, you’ll tell me. And whenever it’s possible, you’ll try to prevent yourself from taking hits.  _ Promise _ me.” Her grip on his hands tightened. “I don’t want the same thing that happened today to happen again.”

Chat looked down at their interconnected hands. He couldn’t possibly  _ not _ take hits for Ladybug. He had to—sometimes, it was a necessity, if it meant that she’d be able to continue on the fight and free the akuma. Even if it was without him.

But he knew that wasn’t what she was asking. Ladybug knew him too well; she wasn’t asking him to stop, because she knew he wouldn’t. Instead, she was asking him to do something else. Something else she knew he could do.

“I promise,” Chat whispered back.

“If you ever need to talk to someone, you can talk to me,” Ladybug murmured. “We may have secret identities, but you’re my friend, Chat. I can’t do this without you. You know that, right?”

He swallowed thickly. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Ladybug pulled back, giving his hands one last squeeze before she took out her yo-yo. “I need to go, but I’ll see you later.”

“I—thank you, my lady,” he said quietly. He looked into her eyes to find affection reflected within them. Affection for. . . .  _ him. _

Ladybug simply smiled, and he watched as she swung away. It wasn’t until he felt silent tears rolling down his cheeks that Chat realized how much he’d needed to hear that. Her words once again rang through his mind.

_ Promise me that if an akuma’s powers bother you, you’ll tell me. _

Chat wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his word. He didn’t think he could ever stop himself. He didn’t  _ care _ if he hurt himself over and over again.

_ And whenever it’s possible, you’ll try to prevent yourself from taking hits. _

Which was why it had been hard, so,  _ so _ hard to agree. He couldn’t help it. His first instinct was to protect his lady. It always had been; it always will be.

_ Promise me. _

But Chat knew he’d at least try.


End file.
